


Count My Freckles

by Jing_Lang



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Clouis, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Louisentine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 11:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21409213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jing_Lang/pseuds/Jing_Lang
Summary: Clementine wakes up from a horrible nightmare and Louis makes it his mission to make her feel better. His plan is adorably odd.
Relationships: Clementine & Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis, Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79





	Count My Freckles

_ Blood. All she could see was blood. It followed her around like a shadow, leaving a trail of wet footprints as she roamed the depths of her darkest memories. _

“Hey,” he whispered, “it’s okay.”

Clementine ran her fingers through her temple, wishing it would be enough to soothe the ringing in her ears… but it wasn’t. Each time her heart pulsed it felt like a stab to the chest, a feeling that worsened the dizziness in her head. 

_Just breathe_, she told herself, _you’ve been through this before_.

Louis rubbed her back, watching in silence as she did her best to calm herself down. He hated to see her like this. The nightmares had started to become more frequent in the last two weeks, and it seemed that no matter how much he tried, nothing he did or said had any effect on her. Of course, he could tell she was thankful. Every time, she’d squeeze his hand or give him a small smile; but the look in her eyes always returned to the same tiredness and dread. 

He rested his head against her forehead and stared into the night sky, barely visible due to the window’s wooden boards. He watched quietly as the stars sparkled through the dark, creating striking patterns that spread like small blotches of paint in a black canvas. Louis took in the beauty of the constellations. Only those who’d attempt to connect the dots would be met with such a magnificent sight…

Then, it hit him.

In a blink of an eye, he crawled on the bed and sat in front of Clementine, crossing his legs.

“Count my freckles.”

“What?”

“My freckles,” he said, taking her hands in his and gently pulling her toward him, “count them.”

Clementine stared at him in awe, her voice muffled by an invisible cloth of perplexity. The gap between them was now almost non-existent, with her arms resting around his neck and his hands on her back. 

“… and just how am I supposed to do that?”

He smiled at her. “It’s easy! Just start on one side and once you’re done, move on to the other.”

The cogs that worked in her brain failed to keep up with the reckless thumping of her burning chest. 

“What made you think of that?” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just trust me, okay?” 

She pursed her lips, inspecting his face. A sea of freckles adorned his cheeks and nose, going all the way up to his forehead. Attempting to count them would be the equivalent of madness; but when her eyes fell upon his again, so loving and inviting, she had no choice but to go along with the odd task he’d given her. 

Clementine breathed in slowly, an attempt to cool her tense body. 

“Alright, I’ll try.”

Louis tilted his head, “Yeah?”

She gave him a ghost of a smile, “Yeah.”

He stared at her fondly, observing how the moonlight that spilled inside the room enveloped her in its delicate glow. Holding her close, he leaned in for a tender kiss.

“Okay,” he murmured, pulling away just enough for his nose to brush hers. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Clementine prepared herself to embark on the impossible quest that was counting the boy’s freckles. A spirited debate on how to best approach the situation began to run on her mind, yet none of the options voiced seemed efficient enough for the job. Noticing her struggle, Louis pressed his lips against hers again in an act of encouragement.

“You got this.”

She listened to his words. Saying she was putting too much thought into it would be an understatement. Perhaps going with the flow wasn’t such a bad idea.

So, she did just that.

Her eyes studied the left side of his face, stopping at the smallest dot.

_One, two… _she counted, taking a closer look at his cheek. _Five_ _more over here, six smaller ones over there – no, seven…_

Just as she was processing that information, Louis planted a quick kiss on her lips.

“Louis.” 

“What?” he asked, failing miserably to hide the grin on his face.

“You keep kissing me.”

“Oh, didn’t I mention?” he said, raising a brow, “I’ve decided that every five seconds or so, I’ll kiss you.”

She shook her head, “You know I won’t be able to keep track of your freckles if you do that.”

“Well, that’s what makes it a challenge!” 

Clementine sighed. At that point, it might as well have been better to make up a random number and go with it. 

“Okay, then. How about…” she whispered, the corners of her mouth lifting into a small smile, “nine hundred and fourteen?”

The way his laughter ignited the room caused her heart to flutter.

“As much as I’d love to have as many freckles as the number of floors in our magnificent purple house,” he said, pulling her in for another kiss, “no, I don’t think so. Try again.”

Just when she was about to speak, he intervened once more.

“Oh, and before you ask,” he shifted on the bed, “yes, I do know how many freckles I have on my face.”

That statement alone made her burst into a fit of giggles. He couldn’t possibly be serious.

“Yeah, I’m not even gonna pretend I believe that.”

“Hey, it’s true!”

“You counted them?”

He paused for a moment, his memories taking him back to much simpler times.

“Yup, used to do it a lot back when I was younger. Every day, I’d wake up and run to the mirror to check if there were any new ones,” he said, a subtle pout then forming on his lips, “Didn’t see many changes, though.” 

The image of a little Louis standing in front of a mirror, squinting his eyes at his own reflection in search of new members for his freckle collection was incredibly adorable to Clementine. She pictured the shine in his eyes and the smile that’d surface on his face on the rare occasions he’d find another one, his inner joy projecting itself onto the outside world with each one of his victory dances.

She was brought back to reality when she felt him brush a strand of hair away from her face.

“That means no cheating.” he told her. 

“Alright, alright…”

A new strategy was very well needed. 

Her eyes alone wouldn’t do the task justice, that was certain; not when it was so easy for her to lose herself in that captivating labyrinth of his. Clementine tugged on her bottom lip. Perhaps she could find another tool…

Her hand left his shoulder and slid up his cheek, its softness welcoming her fingers to carefully trace the constellations he wore so beautifully on his skin. She used her thumb to mark his freckles, gently brushing it along each one she came across. A rosy tint soon began to spread on his face as he kissed her yet again. Clementine smiled against his lips, ignoring the strong urge to keep them bound to her own. Instead, she let her fingertips guide the way once more, her focused gaze preventing her from losing track of anything.

Her finger then reached his nose, carefully running it along the bridge all the way down to the tip. Louis flinched slightly, unable to suppress a laugh when she repeated the process again.

“I didn’t know you were the ticklish type.” she teased.

“I’m not.”

Clementine raised a brow. Shortly after, she was drawing small circles on top of his nose, smiling when she got the exact same reaction from him.

“You were saying?”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, brushing her hand away, “maybe a little.”

A sense of calm submerged her body as she watched him with a tenderness only he could match. To think that a while earlier her heart had fallen victim to her mind’s haunting echoes of the past…

She repelled those thoughts away. 

At last, her eyes scanned his forehead. It was slightly less busy than the rest of his face, which made the tiny specks far less challenging to count. Applying the same method, she found herself jumping from freckle to freckle in between kisses until there was none left.

Just as Louis leaned in once more, Clementine placed a finger on top of his lips.

“Eighty-four.”

He stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Oh, I-…” he breathed, “I didn’t expect you to actually count.”

She let out a quiet laugh, watching as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“So, did I get it right?’ 

“Close,” he said, smiling softly, “it’s eighty-seven.”

_Damn._

_ _ His hand trailed down her arm, stopping to enlace their fingers together.

_ _ “It was a good effort, though.”

She silently agreed.

With that, Louis left his previous position to sit properly on the bed. Once again, he looked up at the peaceful night sky, admiring the stars that glowed in its dark blue tint. He hoped that she’d found the cluster of freckles on his face just as soothing as the constellations that glimmered above.

“Hey, Louis?”

The melody of her quiet voice made him turn to her. Her gaze was low, resting upon her lap, as if she was deep in thought. He waited patiently for her to continue, but nothing came. He held his breath as he yearned for a reaction – anything that’d tell him that it had worked, that it had been worth it… that she was okay. 

He didn’t have to wait long.

The shine on Clementine’s eyes when she finally glanced up at him made him push all his fears away.

“Thank you.”


End file.
